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Safeguarding

Sponne School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We recognise our moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all students. We endeavour to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are respected and valued. We are alert to the signs of abuse, neglect, exploitation and radicalisation and follow our procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice. Where there are concerns, we have a duty to refer those concerns; contributing to the assessment of a child’s needs, and towards on-going action to meet those needs. We are well placed to give a view on the impact of treatment or intervention on the child’s care or behaviour.

When and what might I be concerned about?

At any time you may be concerned about information which suggests a child is being neglected or experiencing physical, emotional or sexual harm (FGM, Forced Marriage, Radicalisation, extremism, Child exploitation), Abuse, neglect, physical, emotional harm, exploitation and radicalisation can happen to any child, boy or girl, of any race, culture, ethnicity or sexuality. Many children are unable to disclose what is happening to them and rely on us to interpret their behaviour and spot signs of abuse. You may observe physical signs, notice changes in the child’s behaviour or presentation, pick up signs of emotional distress or have a child disclose a harmful experience to you.

A student may:

have a bruise, burn or injury that seems suspicious

show signs of pain or discomfort

be unnaturally passive or withdrawn

be unpredictable and challenging

seem anxious, fearful or distressed

provide an unlikely explanation for their injury or their behaviour

Harm to a child can be caused by:

A parent/carer

A family member/friend

Another child

A stranger

A member of staff / volunteer

For further information on the different types of abuse and key indicators, please refer to our Child Protection Policy:

What should I do if a child discloses that s/he is being harmed?

If you are concerned for a child’s health, welfare or safety in any way you must speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or one of the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.

Do not question the student or try to secure evidence. Your responsibility is to report your concern, not to investigate.

If a student tells you something that suggests they are at risk of harm, allow them to tell you as much as they wish and let them know that you must pass the information on to the DSL.

If you become concerned about a student’s immediate safety, notify the nearest member of staff and tell them why you are concerned.

The information you have may not be enough on its own for a Child Protection referral to the MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub), however it will help the Designated Safeguarding Leads to make a decision about risk of harm to the child and how to move forward to protect and support that student.

Designated Safeguarding Team

At Sponne School there is a team of Designated Safeguarding Leads. The school use a secure safeguarding program to record and monitor all safeguarding concerns, which is reviewed regularly by the team. The safeguarding team meet every fortnight to review and discuss ongoing concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us for ANY concern that you may have.Designated Safeguarding Team

What should I do if the alleged abuser is a member of staff or a Volunteer? (Whistle Blowing)

If your concern is about a staff member or volunteer, you should report this to the Headteacher immediately. The Headteacher will inform the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) according to policy. If your concern is regarding the Headteacher, you need to contact the Chair of Governors.